Sucked more than a little

Can we all agree on something…Ticketmaster is terrible?  That’s less of a question, and more of a statement of fact.  Fees associated with your purchases sometimes exceed 10% of the ticket price, and for what?  With so much of the purchase process automated, and far fewer call centers for phone orders, it seems that they’ve only needed to reduce costs instead of increase them.  Among my circle of concert-going friends, they are not-so-affectionately known as Ticket-bastard.  And, we’re not alone.  For the smaller venues and smaller shows, artists are working outside the box and experimenting with both other ticketing options as well as selling direct to the fans due to the TM screw.  Louis C.K. is famous for this.  You buy from him.  You want his latest show?  Pay him.  You want to order tickets? Pay him.  Now, he has, due to some venue rules, needed to work with TM, but when he got to that point, he was able to talk them out of charging the ridiculous fees they’re known for (i.e. his recent MSG shows). 

Another direction is to work with smaller ticketing agents.  The wife and I wanted to see Keller Williams and his funk band at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park.  Tickets were being advertised on his website, and sold through a small ticket agent called FrontGate Tickets.  So, my wife and I purchased tickets through the FrontGate website, and all seemed to be in order.  Confirmation came through (e-mail) that the tickets would be printed and mailed USPS a week or so before the event.  When they didn't come, I gave FrontGate a call.  They claimed that Keller's peeps didn't provide enough tickets and that, instead of mailing, they'd waiting for us WillCall.  No problem.  The night of the show, after waiting 20 minutes in 20 degree temps in line, we finally got to the window, and lo, our name wasn't on the WillCall list!  I immediately called FrontGate (open 9am-9pm Central; Mon-Sat) and they said that the Pony ticket office should check the "WillCall" list and then a "Buyer's list", and call a manager to look too and all sales are final.  If you've ever been at the Pony you know they're already short staffed, and that night the line was long.  None of that bore fruit.  Name wasn't there and we couldn't get in.  The woman at the Stone Pony also indicated that we weren't the only ones with this issue.  Rightly so, I largely place the blame at FrontGate's feet.

Tuesday morning, I called FrontGate and, after regaling the tale, they promised a full refund despite their “all-sales-final” policy.  But, this was less about the money, and more about the inability to see a show.  We don't have the freedom to just hit any show we want (our fault for procreating), and this was a night out.  Also, this was the last show of his in the Northeast until September!  There are other bands and other ways to spend our money...but to have planned this, hired a sitter and have it not work out was disheartening.

Happy ending, though.  I wanted Keller’s people to know what happened in order for them to keep this from happening to some other poor schmuck.  I wrote to them much of what I wrote here and they were super fast on the response, super gracious and apologetic, and offered to comp our next show!  Oh, and you can’t go to a show without being properly attired, so they threw in 2 T’s to boot…pick any you like.  So, it all ended well, and we’ll definitely be taking them up on a show when he swings around again.  I know it seems like I’ve got OMS (Old Man Syndrome) by bitching to the talent like I did (You whippersnappers! Get off my lawn!), but I thought it ended well enough to say that, if you get screwed, speak up.  Most times, people, companies, brands will try to make it right.  And if they don’t, maybe it’s time to stop patronizing that entity, and start spending your money on bands, organizations and companies that understand that the customer/fan is #1 (and paying your bills)!

More on Pono

Just a quick post today...more musical jargon.

Typically at CES in Las Vegas has a slew of new ideas on old ways of doing things.  Specifically, for a wannabe audiophile, the way we hear music, and what player to use.  I've already beaten the dead horse about Neil Young's PONO music player, and it looks as if my early predictions regarding its necessity is being echoed throughout the blogosphere.  Check out the following two articles of their independent reviews of the PONO player, how it's not illogical to want to hear your music better, but do so within the confines of biology and physics!

First, for background, my other posts on this:

http://rabidgiant.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-sound-education.html

http://rabidgiant.blogspot.com/2014/03/everybody-ponos-this-is-nowhere.html

And now this from the Audiophiliac:

http://www.cnet.com/news/the-ponoplayer-whats-up-with-that/#ftag=rss.audiophiliac.ftag

And then from Gizmodo:

http://gizmodo.com/dont-buy-what-neil-young-is-selling-1678446860?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gizmodo%2Ffull+%28Gizmodo%29

OK...as you were.

Under the covers

Happy 2015!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, and I thought this was an apt time to remind people that no-matter what 2014 brought you, it’s good to be thankful for all you were able to carry forward into 2015.  What better way to start than to highlight some amazing song covers that, in most cases, are as good or better than the originals. 

For those who follow me on the FaceBook, you may have seen my post of Kate Davis, a Manhattan transplant who is making it work as a writer of pop songs and upright bass performer extraordinaire.  I was already following Scott Bradley and his Postmodern Jukebox…and when he involved Kate in the cover of Meghan Trainor’s “All about that bass” I knew I was in love.  Not with the original.  Oh god no.  But, put into the 1940’s-esque jazz context, well, sign me up.  

Scott Bradley’s band has covered many other songs, mostly in the style of jazz, but ranging from New Orleans-style to bluegrass to roaring 20’s.  His choices for vocals and accompaniment are dead on.  The PMJ will be touring Europe in 2015, but I’d expect them back in the US shortly thereafter. 

Another song, of recent note, where the cover was as good or better than the original was the late Joe Cocker’s interpretation of “A little help from my friends.”  You’ve heard it a million times…both in recent tributes, but also as the theme song for “The Wonder Years” in the late 80’s.  For you kids who are too young to remember, it was the show where Kevin Arnold had plenty of room in his crotch.  

This next song selection was inspired by a documentary I recently watched produced by Dave Grohl called “Sound City.”  It provides the history of the recording studio of the same name, established in 1969, and was the end-all be-all of analog recording equipment.  Artists who recorded there include the Chili Peppers, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Rick Springfield, and Nirvana…where they recorded “Nevermind.”  That lead me onto a bit of a Nirvana kick, and one of my favorite tracks recorded on their 1994 MTV Unplugged album, Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World.”

Granted, not all covers are good, and this last one is just hysterical…incidentally featuring David Bowie and a very 1985 Mick Jagger.  It’s definitely not the song that’s at fault, as it is one that best defines Motown in the 1960s and is the break-out hit from Martha and the Vandellas.  Even the Dead does a better job (but not Van Halen)…but I leave you with this last bit in this week’s blog post as an example of “if it ain’t broke, please don’t try to fix it.”  

Enjoy and happy New Year!